Ammo. Limitations?

[Cedric 132]

I was zeroing the hmr at 100 yards and decided to have a play with my .22. It didn't turn out too bad.

 

However, looking at the groups I got to wondering just how much minute variations in the ammo. could affect the grouping i.e. is the ammo capable of better performance?

 

It's often said (in response to a question as to a rifles accuracy) that the rifle is more accurate than the shooter! This is not always the case, as seen in trying different brands of ammo through a particular rifle to see which suits it best - groups can vary considerably.

 

I realise that barrel quality plays a big part, mine are factory barreled CZ hmr and Anshutz .22.

 

Taking the shooter out of the equation by clamping the rifle - does this show the real potential of the ammo?

[Deker 3,478]

The rifle is almost always more accurate than the shooter (unless the rifle has issues), trying different ammo doesn't change that, it will simple steer you in the direction of the ammo the rifle favours.

 

When you have that combination then most other variables are the shooter!

 

You would need to clean and clamp the barrel to get any sort of a statistically relevant idea of ammo, as well as using a lot of ammo, but usually just a handful of shots will tell you what you need to know!

 

It is also worth repeating the exercise in a few months, or a year or two, depending how much you use it, ammo and barrels can/do change over time.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

If you're feeling particularly anal, you can sort your .22 rounds by weight using a grain scale. You'll normally find that the bulk of 'em come in at one weight, with a bunch of lighter and heavier bullets at differing weights. Use that "average" weight for zeroing your rifle, serious target shooting and hunting; mark and set aside the rest for plinking. This will make a difference, but takes some faffing about.

 

Also, see the YouTube vid below about measuring the size of the rims. Apparently, you can improve accuracy by consistently using cartridges with the same rim thickness for serious shooting.

 

The logical next step towards becoming completely sad is to select your ammo by rim size, then sort them by weight, then use only those bullets with the same rim size & weight to hunt or target-shoot with.

 

Unless of course you think life's too short and have better things to do with your time...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_wisoLVzk

[Cedric 132]

Coypu - did all you suggested, went out to a new permission today and found I had forgotten my sorted ammo - so just had to shoot the six rabbits and a magpie with regular ammo!

[Coypu Hunter 486]

Yep, works for me too -- life's too short!